The Accidental cheerleader based on the book
by Queen of Cartoons
Summary: Brittany sign herself and Jeanette up for cheerleading when Jeanette doesn't want to. But then Jeanette ends up in the spot light a Brittany becomes the macot. Soon, Jeanette feels torn between Brittany and her fellow cheerleaders. includes the sisters
1. Chapter 1

**THE ACCIDENTAL CHEERLEADER**

**Summary: Based on the Candy Apple book. Brittany signs Jeanette and her for cheerleading and Jeanette ends up In the spotlight and Brittany becomes the mascot. Soon, Jeanette feels torn between her sister and her fellow cheerleaders.**

"Check these out!"Brittany Miller exclaimed. She yanked the hanger off the rack and held the jeans up to her waist. They were dark indigo with a flare at the ankles. A dragon embroided in red and gold thread down the left leg.

Her sister Jeanette's green eyes widened. "Wow," she said. Brittany had been a better sister to Jeanette ever since she didn't become one of the sisters; Muffy and Courtney, the most popular girls in the school who were awful to Jeanette.

Jeanette looked at the price tag. "Make that serious wow on _sale_. I swear you have the best shopping karma of anyone I know, Brittany."

_Not like me, _Jeanette thought with a sigh. She found it practically impossible to find stylish clothes that fit her perfectly. All the clothes that fit her tall height didn't match her skinny body.

"Never fear," Brittany told Jeanette. She plunged her hands back into the rack and rapidly began to sift through the hangers. A second later, she pulled out an identical pair of jeans in a smaller . "Last pair," she declared, "and they look like they might fit you."

Jeanette grinned. "You're the best Brittany."

"Anything for my sister."

Draping the jeans over their arms, the two girls made their way toward the fitting rooms. In a week, school would begin, and the store was crowded with kids hitting the back-to-school sales. Jeanette glanced around to see if she recognized any faces from Meridan Middle School, but no one looked familiar.

When they reached the dressing rooms, the bored- looking attendant took the clothes and counted the hangers.

"There's only one room open," she informed them, handing one of the jeans back, " One of you will have to wait."

"That would be Jeanette. Jean, do you mind?" Brittany asked.

"Well," Jeanette replied, "I-"

"Good." Brittany interrupted while throwing Jeanette's jeans on the table. Even though Brittany had been nicer to her sister, she can still be selfish at times.

After they both got changed and paid for their items, they left the store and started walking through the mall.

"Look at this!" Jeanette said when she saw something in a store window. "I've always wanted a telescope. I think it would be cool, wouldn't you Britt?"

Brittany didn't answer. She was staring at something across the room. Jeanette followed her gaze. She saw some of the players on the football team gathered around a plasma TV on the opposite wall watching a football game. One of them, in fact, was a chipmunk. A red-clad chipmunk named Alvin. He was Jeanette and Brittany's next door neighbor. He also happened to be the same age as them.

Now Jeanette understood Brittany dragged her to the mall. Brittany had a crush on Alvin. Half the girls at Meridan did. Last year, Alvin won the district all-star award for football, and he was part of the most popular clique at school.

"Brittany?" Jeanette asked trying to get Brittany's attention. Still no answer. "Hello? EARTH TO BRITTANY!"

That got Brittany's attention. "Huh? Oh, sorry Jean," Brittany said sheepishly. The two chipettes made their way through the mall when a giant sign caught Brittany's eye.

_KARAOKE AT Your Own Home, _the sign read.

"I love karaoke!" Brittany exclaimed.

She began to fiddle with the dial on the machine. A second later, the opening phrase of a pop song burst through the speaker. Brittany picked up the mic and started to sing.

_I know a place_

_Where the grass is really greener _

_Warm, wet and wild _

_There must be somethin' in the water_

_Sippin', gin and juice_

_Layin' underneath the palm trees_

_The boys_

_Break their necks_

_Tryin' to creep a little sneak peek_

As Jeanette listened to Brittany sing, she glanced at the same sign only this time noticed small words underneath where it said: _Do not touch._

A few people in the store turned to look. Jeanette called out to Brittany as loud as she could to warn her, but the music overpowered her voice.

Brittany eyes were shut tight and she had her head thrown back, singing like a true pop diva.

_California Girls_

_We're unforgettable_

_Daisy dukes_

_Bikinis on top_

_Sun-kissed skin_

_So hot_

_Will melt your posicle_

_Oh ohohohohoh oh ohohohohohoh_

At the Corner of her eye, Jeanette saw Alvin and his friends turn around.

_They're coming over! _She thought_. What should I do?_

For a brief instant she considered unplugging the machine, but Brittany would keep on singing.

Then Jeanette glanced over to see a lady in a uniform with an unhappy look on her face.

Jeanette didn't want Brittany to get in trouble and embarrass herself in front of her crush.

Jeanette closed her eyes and willed the moment to be over as soon as possible.

A second later, It was. As she opened her eyes, she was just in time to see the boys back as they headed out the door of the store.

**I Know it's a little boring right now but keep reading! It will get better! I will update soon and PLEASE review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Sorry in the last chapter I had a few typo's and error's so sorry about that. Anyway, here's chapter 2!**

Jeanette leaned against her locker and checked her watch for the third time that morning. Eight-fifteen. Brittany was late.

Brittany said she would catch up with Jeanette, but it took longer than Jeanette had expected.

Jeanette looked up to see another chipette with pig-tails open her locker across the hall. It was her other sister.

"Hey Eleanor, have you seen Brittany?" Jeanette asked her.

"Nope," Eleanor replied, "she was looking through her closet for the _perfect_ outfit to wear when I left."

Jeanette's green eyes widened. "But she bought her outfit yesterday with me!" she said.

"She said it wasn't _perfect_ enough." Eleanor said while bending her middle and index fingers at the word perfect.

Jeanette sighed. "Okay, I'll see you later." She said as she walked away.

The hall was starting to fill with students. Noise echoed through the corridor as they hollered greetings, excited to see one another after the summer. A few kids Jeanette knew said hi as they passed her. They were all wearing bright clothes in the latest fashions. They sported new haircuts and dark tans, and the ones who'd got their braces off flashed extra-wide pearly white smiles.

As she waited for Brittany, Jeanette eyed her own purple frilly short skirt. She wished she's worn those jeans she bought at the mall, but Brittany and her agreed that they both shouldn't wear it on the same day, so it would be fair if neither of them did.

"Jeanette!"

Brittany rushed up, her auburn curls bouncing in a high ponytail like in a shampoo commercial.

"Sorry I'm late," Brittany said breathlessly, "I missed the bus looking for clothes, so Miss Miller had to drive, and then she crashed into a pole and-"

She broke off when she saw Jeanette staring at her. "What?" Brittany asked.

"Your jeans," Jeanette said. " You wore _the_ jeans."

Brittany looked down to see the red-and-gold dragon on her left leg. "Ooooops! I totally forgot, Jean. I was running late and Miss Miller was yelling at me to hurry. So I grabbed the first thing-"

"Whatever. Forget it," Jeanette said cutting her off. _It's just like Brittany to forget her own rule_, she thought.

"Sorry Jean. You're not mad, are you? They're just jeans.

"Right," said Jeanette.

The thing was, Jeanette knew Brittany hadn't meant to break their rule. Brittany sometimes did things without thinking. She once agreed to race around the world in a hot air balloon with diamond smugglers for crying out loud! This was nothing compared to THAT.

So why did Jeanette feel so annoyed?

Jeanette shook off the feeling. She didn't want to make a big deal of things.

"Anyway, I like where my locker is," Jeanette said looking around.

Brittany suddenly gasped. "Yeah! You're right across Alvin's locker! You are the luckiest girl alive.

"I guess."

Jeanette didn't get why every girl was into Alvin. Well, she knew why Brittany did, but no one else. He was a chipmunk. Every other girl besides Eleanor and Brittany were humans.

"Trade lockers with me," Brittany pleaded.

"Nope." Said Jeanette, "I know that you're locker is across the cafeteria."

"Yeah! It's not fair that I have to be in a hallway that smells like barfburgers!" Brittany complained.

"Sorry Britt."

Just then, there was a ripple in the flow of hallway movements. Several kids turned to look as as a quartet of girls with red roses on their shirts strode down the center of the hall.

In the lead was a petite girl with almond-shaped eyes and long blonde hair that reached half-way down her back. Everyone in the school knew Muffy Reyes. She was head of the cheerleading team, and the leader of the sisters, the most popular girls at the school. The dark-skinned girl to her right, walking so close that she matched Muffy's steps, was her best friend, Courtney Knox. Following their heels were two red-headed girls-Amie and Marie Gildencrest, the only identical twins at Meridan Middle school. Courtney, Amie and Marie were part of the sisters and were all cheerleaders too.

As they walked down the hall, the girls shouted greeting to the other popular football players. Muffy had a perfect smile, Jeanette noticed. It was wide and full of even, white teeth. Courtney, on the other hand, looked like she was pouting even when she wasn't. Jeanette thought it was because of all the lip gloss she wore.

"Heeey, Alvin!" Muffy called flirtatiously as she passed.

Alvin flashed his crooked grin and waved at her. As soon as she was gone, Alvin stopped grinning and just rolled his eyes. He hated Muffy and all the other sisters because for one, they made Brittany a jerk when she was hanging out with them and two, they called Jeanette a nerd. The chipettes were Alvin's best friends besides the football players.

Someone called Jeanette's and Brittany's names. A boy's voice. A chipmunk's voice. Confused, Jeanette pulled her gaze from the sisters and looked around. There was Simon Seville making his way toward them through the crowded hallway.

Simon was Alvin's brother. He was the exact opposite as Alvin though. Simon is more of smart types. He's always doing homework, focusing on his studies and is a straight A student.

"Simon!" Brittany exclaimed.

"Hey, Simon," Jeanette said shyly.

"Hi guys, I mean, girls," he said, "how was your summer?"

"Well, after the big race around the world, we stayed home grounded," Brittany replied.

"Same with us. Dave got so mad, he cancelled the tour we were supposed to do," Simon said.

Jeanette just stared at Simon. She noticed how his teeth stood out white against his furry face. _He got a tan over the summer, which is odd considering he was inside grounded the whole time. He looks good. In fact, he's cute. Way cute, _she thought.

As quickly as the thought came, Jeanette pushed it away. If Brittany found out she had a crush on Simon, Jeanette would never hear the end of it.

The bell for first period rang loudly, startling Jeanette out of her thoughts

"Well, I better go," Simon said. "I'll see you girls later." His eyes rested on Jeanette's for a moment. She felt a deep blush creep into her cheeks.

"Later Simon," Brittany said cheerfully.

"Bye," Jeanette murmured.

"Hey by the way, Brittany," Simon said as he walked away, "nice pants!"

Brittany beamed. Jeanette gritted her teeth, hating her frilly purple skirt.

Later that day, Jeanette stretched her legs across the seat in the last row of the bus. Brittany was sprawled out on a seat in front of Jeanette, Simon sat in a seat across the aisle and Theodore (Alvin and Simon's other brother) and Eleanor shared a seat in front of Simon. After all the football players were off the bus, Alvin sat at the back with his siblings and the chipettes.

" I heard Muffy was dating a high school guy over the summer," Brittany reported.

Brittany had spent the last fifteen minutes reviewing the summer gossip she's picked up at scholl. Most of It centered Muffy Reyes.

" I heard she dumped him right before school started," Brittany went on, "and he spent every night for a week calling her on the phone, crying and begging her to get back together. Can you Imagine? A high school guy!"

"What grade in high school?" Theodore asked.

"I'm not sure. Ninth, I think."

"Big deal. If he's In ninth grade that means he was in eighth grade last year. Which means he's practically the same age as Muffy," Alvin pointed out.

"Actually, Alvin has a point. As the average human gets older, the more age doesn't seem to matter," Simon said.

Brittany shrugged defensively. "It's just what I've heard."

"Anyway, I'm tired of hearing about Muffy Reyes. She's a snob. Remember when she called me 'fatty ratty'? Called Jeanette a nerd?" said Eleanor.

"I agree, she is a snob, I mean, she rejected this!" Brittany said pointing to herself. Everyone laughed at Brittany's comment.

Jeanette sighed and let her attention drift. She wondered what it would be like to have a guy beg you to get back together. It would be nice to have a guy who liked you so much he called every night.

She glanced across the aisle at Simon. He was wearing a plain blue T-shirt. _Blue suits him so well_, Jeanette thought to herself.

Simon felt her gaze and looked over. When he met Jeanette's eyes, he smiled. Quickly, Jeanette turned her attention back to Brittany.

"Well," Brittany was saying, " I guess me and Jean we'll have to see the snobs a lot more often."

"What? Why?" Jeanette asked getting out of her daze.

"Because Muffy and the rest of them are cheerleaders. And tryouts are next week. I think we have a shot." Brittany replied.

"Oh, you're trying out?" Jeanette asked surprised. Brittany had never mentioned it before.

"Nope. We're trying out. I sighned you up too!"

There was a squeal of brakes as the bus lurched a halt and the chipmunks and chipettes stop. Jeanette sat bolt upright and stared over the seat back at her friend.

"You did _WHAT?"_

**So there's chapter 2 for you. I mentioned the movie THE CHIPMUNK ADVENTURE a few times. I hope you guys like it so far! Keep reading and PLEASE review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Again, I had some spelling mistakes in the last chapter so please forgive me. Anyway, here's chapter 3.**

"No. No way. Absolutely not." Jeanette squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head from side to side as if trying to erase the idea from the air to her nose.

For the past twenty minutes, Brittany had been telling her how great cheerleading would be . But Jeanette wasn't buying it.

"Come on Jean. It will be fun," Brittany pleaded.

"Fun? Yeah, the way total humiliation is fun," Jeanette fumed.

The chipmunks and chipettes were sitting on the deck in the chipettes backyard. A bag of potato chips, a two liter bottle of soda, and a pack of cherry flavored licorice whips sat open on the patio table in front of them.

"I cannot believe you signed me up for cheerleading tryouts without even asking me, Britt. Do I _look_ like a cheerleader? I mean, I can't even talk in class without blushing, or walk five minutes without tripping and nearly landing on my face!" Jeanette exclaimed.

"But you used to go to gymnastics meets, right?" Simon asked casually.

Jeanette had taken gymnastics lessons, all through grade school. At first she wasn't that good, but then her clumsiness didn't seem to get in the way as much. She's won all-around second place in the last city wide meet she went to, before she quit.

She shrugged. "Yeah, so?"

"So didn't you compete in front of lots of people then?" Simon asked.

"That was different," said Jeanette, willing her cheeks to return to their normal colour. "All that mattered was whether I landed a back handspring or not. I was being judged on my skills, not my hair or clothes or how cool I was.

"It isn't all that different," argued Brittany. "And anyway, you won't be in front of the entire school. The only people who see the tryouts are the coach and the eighth-grade cheerleaders.

"Oh, _only_ the eighth-grade cheerleaders. _Only_ the most popular girls in the school!" Jeanette rolled her eyes. " No way, Jose. Do it without me."

"I can't do it without you. You have to try out with a partner. That's the rule."

Jeanette located a stray chip on the table. She stabbed it with her thumb, breaking it into pieces. "So find another partner, like Eleanor."

Eleanor shivered at the thought. "Jeanette, I can't do that, I play on the sports team. When you cheer for the football, I can't just switch into a cheer uniform and pom-poms when I'm on the bench."

With a little huff, Brittany sat back in her chair."If I'd known you'd freak out like this I would have picked a different partner."

"Yeah, she's freaking out almost as much as you usually do," Alvin whispered to Brittany. Brittany just elbowed him as a reply.

Jeanette said nothing. She continued to pulverize the potato chip.

Eleanor tried to lighten her sister up. "Jean, remember when we all did the school play?"

The year before, the chipmunks and chipettes did the play Snow White. Brittany had gotten the role of Snow White, and she convinced Jeanette to be one of the dwarf's with Eleanor and the rest of the chipmunks. Jeanette remembered the tingly feeling of excitement of standing backstage before she went on.

In fact, most of the exciting things Jeanette had ever done had been Brittany's idea, no matter how stupid they were. Jeanette had gone around the world collecting dolls in a hot-air balloon, an amazing experience she had, thanks to Brittany.

But all that was different, Jeanette reminded herself. Being in the school play was NOT the same as cheerleading.

Brittany knew the only way to get her to do this was to lie.

"Jeanette, I could never have gone on stage every night if you weren't a dwarf in the play," Brittany lied, "And I can't imagine doing this without you, either. It just wouldn't be as much fun. So will you do it? Please?"

Jeanette swept the crumbs off the table and into her palm. Then she tossed them into the grass. She thought about how she always went along with Brittany's ideas.

Brittany watched her, waiting for an answer.

"No," Jeanette said at last.

Everyone was shocked. Jeanette had never said no to Brittany before.

Brittany's face tightened. She scraped her chair back and stood up. Without a word, she took the poato chips out of Theodore's hands and marched into the house, sliding the screen door shut behind her with a bang. A moment later, Jeanette heard the television come on in the Miller's living room.

"She took the potato chips," Theodore said sadly, " right out of my hands." Theodore said nothing more and left the backyard.

It was silent for a few moments. Suddenly, Eleanor's wrist watch started beeping.

"Come on Alvin. Football practice is in ten minutes." She said.

Alvin and Eleanor made their way out of the backyard.

"Saved by the wristwatch," Alvin whispered to Eleanor.

"Your telling me."

It was just Jeanette and Simon in the backyard. It was very quiet.

"I think you should do it." Simon said suddenly, breaking the silence.

Jeanette looked at him in surprise. "What?"

"I think you should try out."

"Why?" She'd assume that Simon thought the tryouts were a bad idea, too. "I'd be the worst cheerleader ever. I'd probably make the crowd want to cheer for the other team."

"No, you wouldn't," Simon said, "you'd be good at the cartwheels and handsprings and what not. Besides, Brittany isn't asking you to be a cheerleader. She just wants you to be her partner for the tryouts."

"But I thought you thought that cheerleading was lame. You just said Muffy is a big snob."

"I said Muffy is a big snob," Simon replied. "That doesn't necessarily mean I think cheerleading is lame. Look, if you don't make the team, it's no big deal. After a week, no one will even remember you tried out. And if you do make it, well, you will be with Brittany, just like she said."

Jeanette chewed her lip. She felt outnumbered. It was two and maybe even five against one in favor of Jeanette Miller trying out for cheerleader. Or make that, cheer_loser._

"All right," she said with a sigh, "I'll do it."

"Jeanette! You have to _smile_!" Brittany exclaimed, "You have to look like your rooting for a touchdown, not directing air traffic."

Jeanette stopped midcheer and dropped her arms. "I _was_ smiling," she snapped, "wasn't I?"

"Not unless you call this smiling." Brittany grimaced as if she stubbed her toe. It was Saturday afternoon. The girls were in their backyard, practicing their routine for the tryouts.

Everyday after school that week, Jeanette and Brittany had gone to training sessions held by the eighth-grade cheerleaders. All the girls who wanted to try out were supposed to pick one cheer and develop a routine with a partner. Tryouts would be the following Monday after school.

With a groan, Jeanette flopped down on the grass and covered her face with her arms. "I'm no good at this," she said. "I am going to humiliate myself."

"No, you're not," Brittany replied. She marched over, grabbed he sister's hand, and pulled her back onto her feet. "Now try it again. From the top."

Brittany sat at the edge of the deck, and Jeanette stood on the lawn, facing her. "Ready, o-kay!" she shouted.

"_We're the mules, we can't be beat. So clap your hands and stomp your feet._ . . . ."

She began to go through their routine, lifting her knees, bending her arms into stiff, precise shapes. Jeanette actually liked the movements. They reminded her of a little of the dance steps in the gymnastics routine.

"_We're the mules, we make the rules, we trample all those other schools_. . . ."

"Bigger smile!" Brittany called out.

It was the smiling Jeanette found hard. She felt like a dumb Barbie doll with a phony smile plastered across her face.

She stretched her lips wider to show she was trying.

"Now you look like a dog that's about to bite someone," Brittany told her.

"I _feel_ like I want to bit someone," Jeanette said meaningfully.

"Okay." Brittany stood up. "You take a break. I'll practice and you can give me some pointers. Be brutal. I can take it."

The girls traded places.

"Ready. O-KAY!" Brittany shouted. She started to move through the cheer.

Watching her, Jeanette thought it was a completely different routine. Where Jeanette to be precise and angular, Brittany looked like she was made of rubber. Her kicks wobbled. Her curls bounced. Her arms flapped like we spaghetti. But Jeanette had to hand it to her. Brittany's smile was perfect.

By the time she'd finished, Brittany was panting. "What did you think?" she asked between breaths.

"You need to keep your legs straighter on your kicks," Jeanette advised. " But otherwise you looked really good.

Brittany plopped down in the grass beside her sister. "I was thinking. We need to have a big ending, like us both doing cartwheels!"

"Can you even _do_ a cartwheel?" asked Jeanette.

Brittany stood up and put her hands over her head. She placed both hands on the ground and kicked her legs in the air.

_She looks like a donkey trying to buck something off it's back_, Jeanette thought.

"I know. Not perfect. But you can coach me, right?" Brittany asked.

Jeanette stood and brushed of the back of her shorts. "Okay. This is how you do it."

**Okay! So that's chapter three! If I made any spelling mistakes I'm sorry about that. Anyway, I'll update tomorrow and PLEASE review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! Here's chapter 4. I like to update as soon as I can so I don't keep my fans waiting so here it is.**

Monday morning, Jeanette woke up with a feeling of doom.

It stayed with her while she showered and dressed. At breakfast, it turned her cornflakes to glue in her mouth. It made her forget to bring her Spanish book to Spanish class, it even made her forget her own last name. She had to think before she wrote it at the top of her paper. She even considered asking Brittany what it was.

By the time she and Brittany made their way to the gym after school, Jeanette felt butterflies in her stomach so bad that she'd assume that they would pick her up and fly away with her.

"Good luck guys!" Eleanor said as she walked by them.

"I know you'll do great!" Theodore added walking beside Eleanor.

"Thanks!" Jeanette and Brittany said in unison.

They kept walking toward the gym.

"I'm so nervous!" Brittany whispered as they walked though the gym doors.

Jeanette nodded. "Nervous" didn't even begin to cover it. Jeanette felt like she was about to walk the plank.

Any minute now, the cheerleading tryouts would begin. Brittany, Jeanette and a group of other seventh grade girls stood at the back of the gym, waiting for the coach to arrive.

In the center of the gym, the six eighth-grade cheerleaders, or the sisters, were sitting at a table that had been set up on the half-court line. Courtney, lip-glossed and perfectly coiffed, as usual. The twins, whose red hair was braided into identical pigtails. At the end of the table sat the two other girls, named Alyssa Craig and Renee Ramirez. Alyssa was pretty, with arched eyebrows and black hair that curled up at the ends in a smooth flip. Renee was very fair with dark hair she usually wore pulled back in a ponytail. And of course, there was Muffy, right in the center where she always was.

They were the most popular girls in the school and any minute now they were going to give their undivided attention to shy little Jeanette Miller.

Jeanette closed her eyes. She hid her hands behind her back so no one would see her cross her fingers as she made a wish.

_Please, please, please, don't make me make a fool out of myself_, she pleaded.

She jumped as the door to the gym banged open. A short blonde woman walked briskly into the room. She wore a yellow T-shirt that said _CHEER ALL OUT OR DON'T CHEER AT ALL_. Two other woman followed her in.

The blonde woman clapped her hands for attention, which wasn't necessary. All talk had stopped the moment she entered the room.

"Okay ladies!" Her voice seemed to reverberate through the entire gym. Jeanette was surprised that such a loud voice could come from such a tiny person.

"I'm Madeline Charge, the adviser for the Meridan Middle School cheerleading squad. I've been coaching for more than ten years, and I like to say that every year our cheerleaders get better."

She flashed a brilliant white smile around the room.

"And of course," Ms. Charge went on, "you already know our other judges, the eighth-grade cheerleaders."

The girls smiled smugly from their chairs.

"So, let me tell you how this works," said Ms. Charge. She held up a worn looking baseball cap and explained that each of the teams would draw a number from the hat. That would be the order in which they went. "Got it?" she bellowed.

Around the room, girls nodded.

"And another thing," Ms. Charge began, "We have twenty-eight girls trying out. There are six open spots on the team. You might end up on the team and your friend might not, or vice versa. I asked you to try out in pairs today because cheerleading is about teamwork. And teamwork means that you respect your teammates whether they win or lose. I don't want to hear about sore losers or sore winners. Got it?"

There were a few tentative nods.

"Alright," Ms. Charge said, clapping her hands again. "Let's do this!"

She held up the hat. Several girls hurried over to pick numbers.

Brittany nudged Jeanette. "Go ahead, you get it," she whispered.

Jeanette walked over to Ms. Charge and fished a slip of paper out of the beat-up hat. On it was written the number four.

_Four?_ Four was too soon. Four meant there were only three pairs of girls ahead of them. Jeanette's heart quickened. She took a few shallow breaths.

As Jeanette turned to bring the slip back to Brittany, she tripped. Her arms flew out and she barely managed to catch herself before sprawling face-first on the floor. Several people turned to look, including Ms. Charge.

Ms. Charge raised her eyebrows and waggled a finger at Jeanette's sneakers. Looking down, Jeanette saw that one of her shoelaces were untied.

Cheeks burning, she knelt to tie her shoe. _Perfect_, she thought, _now everyone thinks I'm a klutz and a_ _slob_. Again she wished she were anywhere but here.

Jeanette stomped back over to Brittany and handed her the slip of paper.

"Great! Four is perfect! Brittany said brightly. She didn't mention that Jeanette had just made a total fool of herself.

Jeanette stared at her sister. What had happened to Brittany all of a sudden? How could she act like everything was great and perfect when everything clearly was awful? She was already acting like a cheerleader, and they hadn't even gotten through tryouts yet!

The judges took their seats in the folding chairs behind the table. Muffy passed out clipboards and little pencils.

"How do I look?" Brittany asked Jeanette. She was wearing white shorts, a pink T-shirt, and tennis socks with matching pink pom-poms at the heels. She's parted her auburn hair into two springy pigtails that flopped alongside her head like the ears of a cocker spaniel.

"Good. Cheerleaderish," Jeanette told her. "How about me?" She's put on a yellow T-shirt and purple track pants. They were supposed to represent purple and gold, the school colors, thought the violet of her pants was too dark and her yellow shirt wasn't quite yellow enough.

"Great," Brittany said. "You look great."

"Okay, pair number one, you're up," Ms. Charge bellowed.

When the pair was finished, Ms. Charge smiled. "Thank you," she said.

Next up were two girls who were pretty and well liked. One of the girls had straight blond hair she'd pulled into a high ponytail. Jeanette thought she looked like a younger version of Ms. Charge.

When they were done, Ms. Charge smiled and thanked them. "Pair three," she said when she finished writing on her clipboard.

That next routine seemed like it went on for only two seconds for Jeanette.

"Okay. Group four, you're up," the coach said.

For a second, Jeanette thought she wouldn't be able to move. She felt as if someone had injected ice-cold water into her arms and legs. Then Brittany gave her a little nudge, and before she knew it, she was out on the floor.

"I'm Brittany Miller!" bellowed Brittany in a good imitation of Ms. Charge.

"Jeanette Miller," squeaked Jeanette. Her mouth felt as dry as Sahara.

Ms. Charge looked up from her clipboard. "Volume!" She commanded.

Jeanette blushed. "Jeanette Miller," she managed to say in a slightly louder voice. She took a deep breath.

"Ready, O-KAY!" Jeanette and Brittany said together.

They had practiced their cheer so many times over the weekend that Jeanette could have done it in her sleep. Instead, she concentrated on smiling. She grinned so hard her cheeks started to cramp.

In what felt like seconds, the cheer was over and they had come to their tumbling finale. Jeanette was upside down in midair when she realized that Brittany wasn't cartwheeling alongside her. Righting herself, she saw that Brittany was frozen, her arms in the air and her ice-blue eyes wide.

_Oh no!_ Jeanette thought. _She's chickening out!_

To stall for time, Jeanette did another cartwheel. To her relief, Brittany started to move. But she didn't cartwheel. Instead, she put her hands on the ground and did a big, clumsy somersault, the kind a toddler would do, straight toward the judges.

Brittany came out of the roll with a giant grin on her face. Behind her, Jeanette dropped to one knee.

"Goooo Mules!" the shouted.

Jeanette quickly got to her feet and hurried over to the sidelines. Brittany was right behind her.

"Wasn't that great?" said Brittany, her eyes shining. Jeanette didn't think so. The sisters were laughing, and so were some of the seventh-graders. She looked over at the judges. The three women had their heads together, talking.

They hadn't talked after any of the other pairs. What were they saying? Had Brittany and Jeanette been _that _bad?

Just then, Ms. Charge glanced over at them. When she saw Jeanette looking at her, she smiled.

Jeanette felt sick to her stomach. The judges were laughing at them, too. Now she was sure of it.

When Jeanette got to her locker Tuesday morning, Brittany was waiting for her.

They've posted the results," she told Jeanette. "The list is outside the counselor's office. The anticipation is _killing_ me."

"You could've looked without me," Jeanette pointed out. She wasn't in a hurry to see who's made the team. It still made her cringe to think about the tryouts the day before.

'I'm too nervous. We have to go together. Come on." Brittany grabbed Jeanette's arm.

Jeanette let herself be dragged down the hall, still wearing her backpack.

By the time they got to the counselor's office, the crowd around the posted sheet was three girls deep. Jeanette would've preferred to wait her turn, but Brittany was already shouldering her way through. Jeanette reluctantly followed in her wake.

The list was printed on yellow paper. Jeanette felt her heartbeat quicken as she began to run her finger down the names.

Then her heart almost stopped. There, right at the end of the list, it said _JEANETTE MILLER._

She read her name over and over again, hardly believing her eyes. Then, slowly, her disbelief gave way to another feeling. _I made it!_ She thought. _I made it!_ _I got picked over all these girls. Brittany and I are_ _going to be cheerleaders!_

She turned to Brittany, ready to celebrate. But the look on Brittany's face stopped her.

Brittany was frowning.

Jeanette turned back to the list. She's seen Brittany's name, hadn't she? Yes, there it was, at the very bottom of the page.

"Oh!" Jeanette said with a little gasp. The list read _BRITTANY MILLER-MASCOT._

**Okay! There's chapter 4! I hoped you guys liked it. This chapter was pretty fun to write for some reason. Anyway, I will update soon and PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay here is chapter 5. I hope you guys like it!**

"A _mule_!" Brittany moaned.

Brittany, Jeanette, Simon, Theodore, Eleanor, and Alvin were sitting at one of the outdoor tables in the school quad, eating lunch. Brittany had just finished filling everyone in on the results of the tryouts.

"I mean, do I _seem _like I'd be a good mule?"

Jeanette hesitated, thinking of the donkeylike kick Brittany had done in her backyard the day before the tryouts. Brittany gave her a wounded look.

"No," Jeanette said quickly. "You're nothing like a mule."

"There's nothing mulelike about you. Except for your hooves. And your long ears. And your stubborn personality," Alvin teased.

Brittany stuck her tongue out at him. "I went to Ms. Charge after first period," she told them. "And I was like, 'Why am I a mule?' she said it was because I was funny at tryouts. They liked my spirit. She acted like that was a good thing."

"Being funny and spirited _are_ good things, Brittany," Eleanor pointed out.

Brittany sulked. "What a stupid mascot. Why can't it be the Meridan jaguar? Or the Meridan eagles? Or. . . or the Meridan goddesses!"

"They don't make goddesses into mascots," Simon told her.

"But it's a good idea, right?" said Brittany, "I mean, I'm not just thinking of me."

"Oh, of course you're not," Alvin said sarcastically.

"Having a mule as a mascot makes the entire school look dumb," Brittany said.

"Mules are strong. They're hardworking. They never give up," Jeanette pointed out.

"They're also ugly," Brittany grumbled.

"But in a cute way," said Alvin.

Brittany plucked two French fries from her lunch tray, swapped them around in a pool of ketchup, and popped them in her mouth. She chewed for a moment, then pushed her tray away.

"Ugh. I'm not hungry. This whole mule thing ruined my appetite. Here, you guys have my fries."

"Oh, Thank you Brittany! Now your forgiven for taking the potato chips!" Theodore said happily.

Brittany gave him a confused look. "What?"

"Oh, never mind."

Simon and Jeanette reached for fries at the same moment, and their fingers touched. Jeanette felt an electric sort of tingle her fingertips. Quickly, she pulled her hand away.

"Anyway, I'm not going," Brittany decided, "Forget this stuff. I tried out to be a cheerleader, not a mule."

"But"-Jeanette was aghast- "but we're supposed to be doing this together! You promised!"

"Well, you don't have to go either," Brittany pointed out. "You don't even want to be a cheerleader. In fact, why don't you just quit? Give the spot to someone who really wants it."

"No!" Jeanette exclaimed, louder than she intended. Everyone at the table looked at her. She blushed and lowered her voice. "No. We can't just not show up. We tried out and we made it and now we have to do it. That's just how it is." Jeanette always followed her commitments. And she wasn't going to stop now just because Brittany didn't feel like being a mule.

"Fine," said Brittany, a little huffily. "I'll go to practice. Jeez."

Later that day, Brittany kept her promise and went to practice.

"STAR. That's the word I want you to remember. You are all Meridan Middle School STARS.

Madeline Charge stood before her cheerleaders, hands on her hips. Today her T-shirt read THERE IS NO "I" IN "TEAM."

The girls sat on the outdoor bleachers, shielding their eyes against the afternoon sunlight. They could hear the boys' (and Eleanor's) team practicing at the far end of the football team.

"Can one of you explain to our new teammates what STAR means?" the cheerleading coach asked, addressing the eighth-graders.

Courtney put up her hand. "Studies. Teamwork. Athleticism. Responsibility," she said primly. She smiled like the teachers pet.

"Thank you Courtney. That's right. Studies. Teamwork. Athleticism. Responsibility." Ms. Charge ticked them off one by one on her fingers. "These are the things that you have to focus on to be the best cheerleaders you can be."

Brittany sensed a lecture coming on. She tried to make herself more comfortable on the hard metal seat.

"First of all, Studies," Ms. Charge boomed. "You all must maintain a C average. We do grade checks once a week. If anyone falls below a C in any class, we have a conference with your teacher. If you don't pull your grade up within a month, you're off the team. Got it?"

The cheerleaders nodded.

"Teamwork." Madeline paced back and forth in front of them like a drill sergeant.

"Cheerleading is not about one person being the center of attention. When you're all in a pyramid, the person at the bottom is just as important as the person at the top."

Blah blah blah. Brittany hated lectures, especially now when everything she says reminds her of cheerleaders and it makes Brittany feel bad. Brittany only heard lectures at school, where the adults acted like kids were social morons. Miss Miller never lectured. If she was disappointed in her, she said, "How do you think you could have done that better?"

Next to Jeanette, Brittany snapped her gum. She'd been fidgeting the whole time Ms. Charge was talking. Jeanette noticed that Brittany didn't seem to find the coach as interesting as she had been at the tryouts.

"Athleticism," the coach went on, "You girls are athletes, and I want you to think of yourselves that way. It's fine to wave pom-poms, but your kicks better be up to your ears or no one cares."

_Harsh_, Jeanette thought. _I can't kick that high yet._

"Responsibility," Ms. Charge went on in her megaphone voice. "You're expected to show up at practice on time and ready to cheer. If you have to miss a practice, I want to know _before_. Don't come to me with excuses later. I don't want to hear them."

Ms. Charge looked from one space to the next. "You are the STARs of Meridan. But you are part of the same constellation. One STAR shouldn't outshine the others."

Brittany pretended to stick her finger down her throat. She made a retching noise just loud enough for Jeanette to hear.

"Okay. Enough talk," Madeline said, "Now, are you ready to cheer?"

"Yeah!" the other girls cried.

"Uh, Ms. Charge?" Brittany raised her hand. "What do I do while everyone else is. . . Cheering?"

"Oh, Brittany, our multitalented mascot. You can run drills with the rest of the girls today if you like," said Ms. Charge. "Come see me after practice, and we'll set up a time for you to get your costume."

As the girls got up from the bleachers, Muffy sidled over to Brittany. As usual, Courtney followed at her side.

"I just wanted to say I think you will be a great mascot," Muffy told Brittany.

"Really?" Brittany looked pleased.

Muffy nodded. "You were hysterical yesterday at tryouts. It took a lot of nerve. I mean, I could never have gotten up there and _embarrassed_ myself like that in front of a _bunch_ of people. But you made it look totally natural."

Courtney put her hand over her mouth as she giggled.

Brittany's smile froze. "Thanks," she said uncertainly.

"Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that." With a little smile, Muffy and Courtney walked over to the other cheerleaders to warm up.

"Brittany turned to Jeanette. "I _embarrassed_ myself yesterday?"

"I'm sure that's not what she meant," Jeanette said quickly. "She probably just meant your somersault was. . . . uh. . . . original."

Brittany glanced at Muffy's retreating back. "She had a nice way of saying it."

The girls spent the next hour doing strengthening exercises. They ran stairs on the bleachers. They did sit-ups and stretches, and they worked on their high kicks, cartwheels, and jumps.

By the time they were ready to start learning a cheer, Jeanette was sweating. It felt good. She realized how much she'd missed working out since she'd stopped doing gymnastics.

Ms. Charge, who had gone to the equipment room to get pom-poms, left Muffy in charge of teaching the cheer. As the girls got into rows, Muffy singled out Brittany. "Not you," she said. "You can't stand in the front row."

"Why not?" asked Brittany.

"Because you're not a cheerleader," said Courtney, coming next to Muffy.

"But I'm here, I might as well learn the cheer. What if you need a sub or something?" Brittany pointed out.

Muffy wrinkled her nose as if Brittany were something stuck at the bottom of her shoe. "Only the cheerleaders do the cheers. That's why they call them _cheerleaders_."

Brittany pressed her lips together. She didn't move.

Jeanette glanced around at the other girls. They were watching. Alyssa, one of the eighth-graders, had her arms folded and a look of disgust on her face, but Jeanette couldn't tell if she were disgusted with Brittany or Muffy.

Muffy gave an exaggerated sigh. "If you really want to learn the cheers, you can stand over there." She pointed to a spot behind the back row.

Brittany looked at Muffy for a second. Then, tossing her auburn hair, she lifted her chin and walked to the spot where Muffy was pointing. Jeanette started to follow.

"Not _you_," Muffy said, stopping her. "You have to stand in front. Otherwise, you won't be able to see anything. You're so small."

Jeanette gave Brittany an apologetic look and returned to front row.

Muffy and Courtney taught a short cheer. Jeanette, who was standing between Amy and Angie, was surprised they already knew it.

"Hi, I'm Angie," Angie said, holding out a hand. Jeanette grabbed Angie's hand and shook it.

"I'm Jeanette."

"Stop, _talking_!" Muffy barked. Angie and Jeanette hushed at once.

Finally, Ms. Charge reappeared and announced, "That's it for today. See you girls tomorrow!"

As Jeanette and Brittany headed over to the bleachers to collect their things, Brittany said, "Cheerleading is harder than I thought."

Jeanette grinned. "Before you know it, you'll be doing back handsprings."

"_If_ I come back," Brittany reminded her.

"Brittany!" Ms. Charge walked over to them. "I wanted to find time for you to try on your costume. Can you come be the equipment room next Monday after school?"

Brittany hesitated. At the moment, she saw Jeanette give her a pleading look.

"Okay," Brittany said.

"Okay, see you next week then." Ms Charge smiled her toothbrush commercial smile and walked away.

"Wait! Don't we have practice tomorrow?" asked Brittany.

"You don't need to. You don't need to learn every routine. Mostly improvise. Run around. Make the crowd laugh."

"Make the crowd laugh," Brittany repeated. "Right."

When Ms. Charge was gone, Jeanette turned to Brittany. "But if you don't come to practice," she began, "that means. . ."

Jeanette looked over at the other cheerleaders with a sinking feeling. _That means I'm on my own._

**Yay! Done chapter 5! Oh! I also enabled anoymous reviews so you can review as many times as you want. Oh, and by the way, I made the sisters a lot less, well, I don't make them say "darling" or anything just so you know. Anyway, I will update soon and PLEASE review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay! Here's chapter six! Sorry I didn't update yesterday. I had a lot of homework and I had a Soccer game. I Hope you like it and please excuse my spelling if I have mistakes.**

"One, two, hit!"

At the signal, Jeanette pushed off Amy's and Angie's shoulders with her hands. Both Amy and Angie were standing in deep lunges. With her right foot on Amy's thigh, Jeanette lifted her left foot off the ground and brought it up to the top of Angie's thigh. Now she was standing atop their bent legs, balanced between them. Jeanette locked her knees and raised her arms in a V.

She held there for one second . . . two seconds. . .

Jeanette wobbled. Her foot slipped, and she fell onto the grass.

"Nice try, ladies," barked Ms. Charge. "Angie, your lunge needs to be deeper. I should be able to balance a glass of water on top of your thigh. Jeanette, straight arms! I want to see a V for Victory, not a U for Unsure. And Alyssa," she turned to Jeanette's spotter, who was standing behind Amy and Angie. "Where were you? Let's try it again."

As Amy and Angie set up again, Jeanette shook out her legs. After a week of practicing straight cheers, Ms. Charge had started them on stunts, like the thigh stand. Jeanette had been surprised by how hard even the easy stunts were. If everyone wasn't doing her part perfectly, the lift didn't work. She started to realize why Ms. Charge was so hung up on teamwork.

Because Jeanette was the smallest person on the team being a chipmunk, Jeanette had been made the flyer, which meant that she got lifted in the stunts. Muffy and Renee, who were also petite, were the other two flyers. The rest of the girls were bases, who lifted the flyers, or they were spotters, who helped support them in the lifts and made sure they didn't fall.

"You're doing great," Alyssa told Jeanette. She nodded at Renee, who was practicing with another group. "Last year, it took Renee weeks to get this down. You learn fast."

"Thanks," Jeanette said, blushing.

"Ready to try again?" asked Alyssa.

Jeanette nodded and moved to her spot behind Amy and Angie. She placed her right foot on Amy's thigh and her hands on both their shoulders.

"One, two, hit!" counted Alyssa.

This time Jeanette's foot slid off Angie's thigh before she'd even straitened her legs. Alyssa caught her waist to keep her from falling.

"I think it's time for a break," said Ms. Charge.

Inwardly, Jeanette groaned. Those were the words she dreaded more than any others, even more than "Stairs!" which all the girls hated. She would have happily run fifteen minutes of stairs than take a five minute break with the other cheerleaders.

The girls headed for the bleachers to grab bottles of water and sports drinks.

Jeanette pulled a bottle of strawberry kiwi juice from her backpack.

During these breaks, Jeanette was always in agony over where to sit. No matter where she landed, she felt left out, too shy to chime in on the conversation without feeling stupid. For Jeanette, this was the worst part of practice. She wished, that maybe, that Brittany were here with her.

At last she decided to sit next to Joy. She had settled on the grass when she heard someone say, "Hey, itsy-bitsy."

It took a second before Jeanette realized that Muffy was talking to her. Jeanette barely knew Muffy, but last year, Jeanette seemed to know how Muffy felt about her.

_-Flashback- _

"_Brittany darling. You're official invitation from the sisters," Muffy said to Brittany at lunchtime._

"_You're inviting me to join your club?" Brittany asked._

"_Not exactly. . ." Muffy said._

"_We'll be checking to see if you're special enough to be one of us," Courtney explained._

_Muffy nodded at Courtney. "And if you find a red rose in your locker by this Friday, It means you have been chosen to be a sister."_

_Jeanette came running to Brittany. "Brittany! You've got to help! Albert's escaped!"_

"_Not now!" Brittany said, pushing her sister away, "You're going to ruin everything!"_

_Suddenly, Jeanette saw the pig, Albert. He came from under the table and on to Muffy's lap. "A PIG!" _

_Muffy and the rest of the sisters started to scream while poor Jeanette had to chase a baby pig around the lunch hall in front of everybody._

_Finally, Jeanette got a hold of the pig. Brittany was furious. "Get out! You're ruining everything!" she said pointing to the door._

"_Sorry, Brittany," Jeanette said as she walked slowly away._

"_Ugh! Who was that, CREATURE!" Courtney said, disgusted._

"_Oh, that's Jeanette. She's my si-" Brittany hesitated. If she told them Jeanette was her sister, she wouldn't be in the club at all. "She's my, uh, science partner!"_

"_Oh! How awful for you!" Muffy said flipping her long blonde hair._

"_Really! Having to work with a NERD like that!" Courtney added._

_Muffy laughed. "Did you see those clothes! She must have gotten them at a garage sale!"_

_Little did they know, Jeanette heard every word. It hurt. It hurt more than getting punched in the stomach. Jeanette knew that Muffy and the sisters were just bad news._

_-End of flashback-_

"Hey! Itsy-Bitsy!" called Muffy, speaking to Jeanette. "Can I have some of your drink? I love strawberry-kiwi."

Jeanette handed over the bottle at once. Muffy raised it to her lips, then stopped and gave Jeanette a sidelong glance. "You don't have cooties, right?"

_Cooties_? Jeanette thought, baffled. Who talked about cooties in middle school? Still, she didn't want Muffy spreading any rumors that Jeanette Miller had cooties. "No," she told her somberly.

Muffy rolled her eyes. "I'm _kidding._"

"Oh."

Muffy took a long drink. When she was done, she gave Jeanette an appraising look.

"You're pretty," she said. "You have nice eyebrows. But your hair would look better if you parted it on the left side. And you definitely should use mascara. I don't need it. My eyelashes are naturally thick, so it would look weird. But yours are really short."

Jeanette wasn't sure what to say, so she just nodded.

"I'm going to call you Bitsy or Jenny," Muffy decided. "For Bitsy, because you're so little. Jenny I guess is just short for Jeanette."

Jeanette just nodded, again.

"Alright ladies! Let's get back to work!" Ms. Charge hollered.

"Thanks for the drink Bitsy. I was wrong about you. You're not so much of a nerd as I thought you were. You're sweet." Muffy handed back the bottle. There was only an inch left at the bottom.

Jeanette was shocked. Muffy seemed so . . . different now. She didn't talk in a British accent, and she seemed, nicer.

Muffy said Jeanette had nice eyebrows. And she gave her two nicknames! Jeanette felt sort of like she belonged.

Friday night, Jeanette, Brittany and Eleanor sat curled on the sofa in the living room of their house. Jeanette struggled to keep her eyes open as Brittany flipped through the channels.

"Just pick something!" Eleanor yelled.

"There's nothing on," Brittany complained. Brittany was a pro channel changer. She could never settle on one thing.

At last, Brittany shut off the TV.

"So," Brittany said, "Tell me how bad cheerleading is."

"It's really not that bad." Jeanette replied, "Some of the stunts are hard, but other than that, it's okay."

Jeanette started to look through Miss Millers makeup in the bathroom that was right behind the living room. "Do any of you girls know where Miss Millers mascara is?" Jeanette asked.

"No," said Eleanor, "we aren't supposed to wear make-up until we're at least six-teen."

"I know. I was just curious to see how it would look."

Then Jeanette started to brush her hair the way Muffy had said.

"What the heck are you doing with your hair?" Brittany asked.

"It's just something I'm trying."

"Well, you look like a spaz the way you jerk your hair like that." Brittany told Jeanette.

"Brittany!" Eleanor whispered elbowing her.

Jeanette just shrugged.

"So, tell me about last practice," Brittany said. "What did Miss Superego do this time?" Brittany came to practice only on Mondays.

"Who are you talking about?" Jeanette asked coolly.

"Are you kidding? Muffy, of course. She's got an ego the size of Lake Michigan."

"She is bossy, but she's head cheerleader. She has to be bossy."

Brittany rolled her eyes."Yeah, well, Simon calls her a tyrant,"

Jeanette froze. "When were you hanging out with Simon?" Jeanette's face felt warm. She hadn't forgotten the tingle she felt when her fingers had brushed Simon's at lunch that day.

Brittany shrugged. "Earlier this week, when you were at practice."

Jeanette waited for Brittany to say more. But Brittany was still thinking about the cheerleaders.

"And what about Courtney?" she asked. "She acts like she's some kind of beauty queen, but she follows Muffy around like a dog on a leash." Brittany laughed.

Eleanor gave Brittany a warning look meaning _You better shut up Brittany, Jeanette is one of them too_.

Jeanette frowned. It seemed mean to talk about Courtney behind her back. Courtney had told Jeanette she had perfect fingernails. "Ms. Charge says Courtney has the best high kick on the team," Jeanette said, feeling she needed to defend her in some way.

"Ms. Charge is a kook," Brittany shot back.

"Brittany!" Eleanor said out loud to her.

"It's true. 'You are all STARs,'" Brittany mimicked. "'But you are all part of the same constellation.' Give me a break."

"Why are you being so negative all of a sudden?" asked Jeanette, unable to hide her exasperation. "You were the one who wanted to be a cheerleader in the first place!"

"That was before I found out they were all tyrants and kooks."

"You're just jealous you're not a cheerleader," Jeanette crossed her arms.

"Yeah, like I'd want to be a bunch of kooks and tyrants!"

"Right."

"Come on guys. Let's forget about this whole thing. Look! Don't Forget the Lyrics is on in five minutes!" said Eleanor, trying to stop the bickering.

Jeanette and Brittany ignored their sister.

"Don't freak out. I was just kidding."

Jeanette stood up. "I'm going to bed," she said.

Brittany looked at the clock on the wall. "It's only 7:55, Jeanette."

"I'm tired from practice this week, ok?" Jeanette started to walk up the stairs.

There was a moments of silence. "Jeanette. . ." Eleanor moaned. She didn't like it when people fought.

"You're not much fun tonight!" Brittany hollered to Jeanette. Brittany stormed into the kitchen.

"Yeah, well, neither are you!" Jeanette shouted back at her. Jeanette continued to stomp to her bedroom.

Left in the living room was poor Eleanor left alone. _No, BOTH of you aren't fun tonight_, she thought.

**Well, there's Chapter 6. I finally did my first flashback, just in case for those people who didn't see the episode, "The sisters." Anyway, I will update in an hour because I have a lot of time and PLEASE review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here's chapter seven. This chapter has mostly Theonor in it just so you know. Anyway, enjoy!**

Eleanor sat silently on the couch in her living room. She looked at the clock on the wall. 7:59pm.

Quickly, she grabbed the remote from off the coffee table and turned on the TV.

The theme song to her favorite show came on. An electric guitar played music that was a tune similar to the song China Grove by the Doobie brothers.

"_Now here's your host; Wayne Brady_!" a voice from the television said.

Eleanor walked into the kitchen to get a snack while listening to the TV.

"_Hey everybody! And welcome to Don't Forget the Lyrics_!" The audience on the game show started to scream.

Eleanor got a bowl of popcorn and again sat on the couch.

"_And let's give a hand for our guest tonight from Orlando, Florida, give it up for Alley Newman_!" A brunette in a red tank top came up on the stage excitedly.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Eleanor quickly got up and answered the door. On the front step she saw a plump green-clad chipmunk.

"Hey Theodore!" Eleanor said cheerfully.

"Hi Eleanor!" Theodore exclaimed, "Can I come in?"

"Sure!" Eleanor opened the door a little wider so she can let her friend through.

As she led Theodore in, she could hear the Television in the backround saying "_I'm gonna lock in those_ _lyrics_!"

"What'cha watching?" Theodore asked.

"Don't forget the lyrics. It's a game show."

Theodore looked at the TV and nodded. "How do you play?"

Eleanor explained to Theodore that what the player would have to do is pick a genre of music. Then the player would pick between two songs to sing. Once the player chose the song, they would sing it, but later in the song, there would be words missing and they would have to say what those words are. Then when they were sure they have the right lyrics, they would say that they would like to "Lock in the lyrics". Each time you get the lyrics right, they would get more money, and there would be more words missing from the song.

"Sounds like a good show," Theodore said.

"Let's watch it!" Eleanor said sitting on the couch. Theodore sat beside her.

"_Okay, you now have $25, 000, guaranteed money_," The host told the contestant. "_Now what category_ _of music would you like to do_?"

The contestant stopped to think for a moment. "_I'm going to go with the 1980's_." She decided.

On the screen, all the categories disappeared, and it showed two 1980's songs. The safety dance and Total eclipse of the heart.

"_Which song would you like to go with_?" Wayne asked kindly.

Again, the contestant had trouble deciding. "_Well, I don't know much of the lyrics to Safety dance, so, I'll_ _go with_ _total eclipse of the heart_!" The audience cheered. The contestant picked up the mic and started to sing.

_Turn around _

_Every now and then I get a little bit lonely and you're never coming round_

_Turn around_

_Every now and then I get a little bit tired to the sound of my tears_

Theodore and Eleanor sang along to the music coming from the television.

Finally, the song reached to the chorus.

_And I need you now tonight, and I need you more than ever-_

Suddenly, the music stopped and there were seven blank spaces on the screen.

The contestant hesitated. "_Uh, uh_. . . "

"It's 'and if you only hold me tight'!" Theodore actually shouted at the TV.

"Theodore, she's not going to hear you," Eleanor told Theodore.

Theodore sighed. "I know."

The contestant finally decided to give up and keep the money she had.

"That's a pretty good show," said Theodore, eating the last piece of popcorn.

"Oh, yeah," Eleanor replied softly.

Theodore looked at her. "Are you okay?"

Eleanor looked up from the ground. "Oh, it's nothing. It's just that Brittany and Jeanette are fighting. I think this cheerleading thing is tearing them apart."

"Well, no matter how much they fight, they're always going to be sisters. They'll forgive each other eventually."

Eleanor smiled at him. "Oh Theodore, you always know what to say," she said while embracing him.

It was silent for a few moments. Eleanor got up and looked out the window. "Wow! Look at all those stars!"

Theodore stood beside her and glanced at the window as well. "Wow."

"Aren't they the most beautiful things you've ever seen?"

"Well, they're the second most beautiful," Theodore said looking at Eleanor.

Eleanor looked at him and smiled.

Suddenly, the phone rang. An elderly lady walked over toward the phone. "I'll get it!" Miss Miller said.

Miss Miller was the chipettes adoptive parent. She adopted the girls after they've been living in a treehouse for their whole life.

As Miss Miller answered the phone, Theodore and Eleanor still looked out the window.

_Just say it_, Theodore thought to himself. _Don't be scared_.

"Uh, Eleanor?" Theodore said sheepishly.

"Yeah, Theodore?"

"I have to tell you something," Theodore said.

Eleanor waited patiently to hear what Theodore had to say.

"I, I like yo-"

Theodore was interrupted by Miss Miller. "Theodore, sweety! That was Dave. He wants you home now."

Theodore sighed. "Okay. Bye Eleanor."

"Bye," Eleanor waved at him.

Theodore walked out the door and was gone.

"Eleanor, you should be getting to bed soon," Miss Miller told her.

"Yes, Miss Miller." Eleanor started to make her way up the stairs and into her bedroom that she shared with her sisters. Jeanette was fast asleep and surprisingly, so was Brittany. _I wonder if they just gave_ _each other the silent treatment until they were asleep_, Eleanor thought.

Eleanor got into her bed, under her lime green covers, and soon enough, like her sisters, she fell asleep.

**Okay I hoped you liked chapter 7! I just wanted to get in a little fluff between Theodore and Eleanor. I will update soon and **_**please**_** review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay everyone! Here's chapter 8! This chapter continues with Jeanette and Brittany. By the way, after I'm done this story, I'll be writing another based off another candy apple book called "Making waves" and it will be co-written by Wendy. Anyway, here's chapter 8!**

The following week, Jeanette was standing at her locker, when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around-and shrieked.

A giant mule face with crossed eyes and buck teeth was hovering just inches away from her nose.

"Gooooo, Mules!" Brittany shouted from inside the head.

"Gosh Britt, you scared me," Jeanette said. She put a hand over her fast beating heart.

Brittany pulled the costume off her head. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry for how I acted the other night."

Jeanette smiled. "It's okay Brittany. I'm sorry too."

The sisters hugged each other, although it was hard with Brittany's mule head.

"And I know, the costume is frightening," Brittany said. "Ms. Charge couldn't let me into the equipment room after school, so I had to get this now. It doesn't even fit in my locker. I'm going to have to carry it around until the game this afternoon. Of course," she added, eyeing Jeanette's uniform, "It's no match for your outfit. Isn't that skirt against school regulations?"

Jeanette blushed as she tugged the hem of her pleated cheerleading skirt. Brittany was right. School rules said that skirts and shorts couldn't be more than two inches above the knee. But when Jeanette held her hands at her sides, her skirt barely reached her fingertips.

"I guess they make an exception for cheerleading uniforms," Jeanette said unhappily. "Please don't make a big deal about it. It's embarrassing enough as it is."

If Jeanette had ever had second thoughts about cheerleading, she was having them now. It was one thing to spend your afternoons tumbling and practicing cheers. It was another to show up for math class wearing a skirt so short it required matching underwear.

Brittany leaned against the locker next to Jeanette's and stared across the hallway and sighed.

"I never get to talk to him alone. He's always with all of us or with the stupid football players," Brittany complained.

Jeanette didn't even need to ask who Brittany was talking about. She glanced over at Alvin. "He's not with anyone now," Jeanette said, "Why don't you go talk to him?"

"What do I say? 'Marry me?'"

"I was thinking more like, 'Hi, how's it going?'" said Jeanette.

Brittany's face brightened. "Okay! I'll do it!" Brittany started to rush to Alvin.

"Oh, wait! Britt?" Jeanette said stopping her.

Brittany turned. "What?"

"Maybe you should leave the mule head here."

Brittany blushed. "Oh, right."

As Brittany set off to make her love connection, Jeanette started to search for her math book in her locker.

"Hey Jeanette."

Jeanette looked up. Simon was standing by her locker door. "How's it going?" he asked.

"Um, fine." _Dang!_ Jeanette thought. Of all the people in the school, Simon was the last person she wanted to see her in her cheerleading uniform.

"So, are you ready for your first game?" he asked.

She shrugged. Thinking about the game made her even more nervous. "Yeah, I guess. Whatever," she mumbled.

Simon's smile dimmed a notch. "Oh. Well, I just wanted to let you know I'll be there."

Simon was coming to the game? Simon was going to watch her cheer? Whenever she'd pictured herself actually cheering, it had always been in front of a faceless crowd. But of course, that was dumb. The people who would be at the game would be all kids she knew. Like Simon.

"Cool," Jeanette said unenthusiastically.

**Meanwhile, with Brittany. . .**

Brittany slowly waked to Alvin's locker. "Hi, Alvin."

Alvin turned around. "Oh, hey Brittany."

There was an awkward silence between the two. "So. . . How's it going?" Brittany asked.

"Not bad, actually. I'm excited for our first game tonight."

Brittany groaned. "Don't remind me."

"Aw, someone's not a happy donkey!" Alvin joked.

Brittany kicked him in the shins.

"Ow! I was only kidding." Alvin said, "I actually think you'd be a great mascot."

Brittany's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Yeah." Alvin smiled at her.

The moment lasted between them until a football player called Alvin. "Yo, Alvin! Come on!"

Alvin sighed. "I gotta go."

"Oh, okay." Brittany faked a smile.

"See you at the game!" Alvin shouted while walking away.

"Right." Brittany said to herself. "The game."

After school, Jeanette and the other cheerleaders set up for their first cheer of the game.

"_Let's get fired up_!"

_Clap-clap-clap-clap._

"_We are fired up!"_

_Clap-clap-clap-clap._

As the football players took the field, the Meridan Middle School cheerleaders tried to get the crowd energized by clapping their hands.

"_Really fired up_!"

_Clap-clap-clap-clap._

As the crowd cheered, Jeanette ran her eyes over the crowd in the bleachers. She told herself she wasn't looking for Simon. She was just looking. But when she spotted him sitting with a few other members of the chess club, her stomach did a little flip.

"_Let's go mules_!"

Brittany stood to the side of the cheerleaders wearing her huge mule head and a fuzzy brown jumpsuit. When the cheerleaders hit their final pose, she ran in, slid to stop on one knee, and threw out her arms as if to say "Ta-da!"

One or two kids in the crowd clapped listlessly. Someone offered a thin whistle.

Muffy yelled at the cheerleaders to get into formation again. For the next forty-five minutes, they ran through cheer after cheer. They did defense cheers when the other team had the ball and offense cheers when Meridan got it back.

The whole time, Jeanette kept one anxious eye on Muffy. Jeanette didn't know much about football, and she was afraid she'd cheer for the wrong team if she wasn't careful.

By halftime, Jeanette's voice was hoarse from shouting. Her cheeks hurt from forcing a smile she didn't really feel.

The Meridan marching band strode onto the field, playing a wobbly version of "Stars and Stripes Forever."

A plump, chipmunk holding a pair of cymbals brought up the rear. Every few steps he happily bashed the cymbals together.

"Theodore? I never knew you were in the marching band!" Jeanette asked him after the song.

"I'm new to the band. It's actually really fun," Theodore replied.

Jeanette giggled for no reason.

"Jenny!" Muffy yelled. "Back to your position!"

Jeanette walked over to where she was supposed to be.

Jeanette began to giggle again. Suddenly, the whole situation seemed upside down. Shy Jeanette had become a cheerleader. Styling Brittany was a mule. And Theodore was in the band.

It was all one big accident. The idea struck her as funny. At that moment, the cymbals crashed again, making Jeanette giggle harder.

She glanced at Brittany. She was running in front of the bleachers, trying to get the crowd to do the wave. Everyone ignored her.

Jeanette's smile faded. She couldn't see Brittany's face inside the mule head, but from her slumped shoulders, Jeanette could tell she wasn't having a good time.

For the rest of the game, when she wasn't watching Muffy, Jeanette watched Brittany. When Meridan got the ball, the mascot jumped up and down. She tried again to get the crowd to do the wave. But as the game went on, Brittany jumped less and less. Soon her feet barely left the ground.

Meridan lost the game, 14-7. Jeanette was headed over to commiserate with Brittany when she spotted Miss Miller coming down the bleachers toward her.

"Miss Miller!" exclaimed Jeanette. "What are you doing here? I thought you weren't going to pick us up until five-thirty."

"Well, I didn't want to miss your first game." Miss Miller put her arm around Jeanette. "You were wonderful sweetheart. All those high kicks. And some of those cheers were very. . . clever. Like little poems."

Jeanette smiled. She had the feeling this was the first football game Miss Miller had ever been to. Miss Miller wasn't exactly the sports-going type.

Eleanor ran up to them. Her hair was drowned with sweat.

"Great game Eleanor!" Jeanette exclaimed to her sister.

"Thanks. Hopefully, we win the next game." Eleanor replied.

Eleanor was the only girl on the Meridan football team. At first, nobody on the team thought she would be good enough, but Alvin knew she was athletic because she was on his soccer team. Eventually, Alvin convinced everyone on the team and Eleanor was now a football player.

"You were wonderful, too, Brittany," Miss Miller added as Brittany walked up holding her mule head.

"Thanks, Miss Miller," Brittany said dispiritedly. "But I know I stank."

"Well, I don't know much about mascots, but I thought you were terrific," Dave said, walking up to the chipettes and Miss Miller.

Dave was the chipmunks adoptive father. Dave also wrote songs for the chipmunks to sing and occasionally, he wrote a few songs for the chipettes as well.

The chipmunks were right behind Dave. "And since it was Jeanette's first time cheerleading, Alvin and Eleanor's first game of the season, Theodore's first time in the school band, and Brittany's first time as mascot, I'm taking you all for ice cream to celebrate," Dave decided.

"Oh! That would be lovely David!" Miss Miller exclaimed.

Everyone seemed excited, except for Brittany. "Thanks, Dave," she said, "but I'm not really hungry. I think I'm just going to walk home."

"Brittany, you know how I feel about you walking home alone," Miss Miller said.

Brittany sighed.

"I'll walk her home," Alvin suddenly said.

Everyone was shocked. Alvin never seemed to reject ice cream for anything. EVER.

Brittany's frown turned into a smile.

"That's very kind of you Alvin," Miss Miller said sweetly.

Jeanette was happy that Alvin was there for Brittany. She knew Brittany was upset about the game, but she knew that Alvin would easily cheer Brittany up.

Alvin and Brittany started their way to the chipettes house.

"Shall we go now?" said Dave.

Jeanette, Simon, Theodore and Eleanor all nodded.

"Ice cream, here we come!"

**So there you have it! Chapter 8! Sorry it took long to update, I was pretty busy. Anyway, I'll update soon and PLEASE review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey everybody! Here is chapter 9! I hope you like it! I do not own the storyline, Mimi McCoy does. And I do not own Alvin and the Chipmunks.**

The next two games didn't go any better for the football team- or for Brittany. Though she wore herself out running up and down in front of the crowd, trying to get them to do waves, they mostly ignored her.

Jeanette could tell her sister was growing more and more discouraged. She started to dread game days, more for Brittany's sake than anything. At the same time, she worried that Brittany would quit. Jeanette didn't want to be stuck going to games without her.

Then, on the afternoon of the fourth game, Brittany didn't show up.

Jeanette watched for her while the cheerleaders warmed up, and through their first several cheers. When Brittany still wasn't there by the second quarter of the game, Jeanette started to realize she wasn't coming.

But by then the Mules were ahead. Jeanette forgot about Brittany for a moment. It looked like the football team might actually have a chance at winning a game.

The Mules scored a touchdown. The crowd cheered. Jeanette kicked her leg up by her ear, which she has been practicing for the past few days, to show how happy she was.

Muffy gave them the signal to take their places for another cheer.

"_Are. You. Ready. For. M-M-S._

_Are you ready_

_To be challenged_

_By none but the best!"_

They were halfway through_ the _cheer when Jeanette realized that some people in the crowd were laughing.

_Are they laughing at us?_ she wondered.

She looked around. Brittany, wearing her mule costume, had finally arrived. She was standing behind the cheerleaders, trying to follow along with the cheer. But since she hadn't learned it. Her moves were all one step behind.

The cheerleaders finished their cheer with high kicks and cartwheels. Out of the corner of her eye, Jeanette saw Brittany trying to lift her leg into the air. The huge mask made it difficult. Her wobbly kick looked especially funny.

The crowd laughed again.

Encouraged, Brittany put her hands on the ground and kicked her feet in the air in one of her lopsided cartwheels.

"Go mules!" someone shouted.

Jeanette glanced over and saw Muffy watching Brittany. She had her hands on her hips and was frowning.

For the rest of the game, Brittany cheered right alongside the cheerleaders. When she didn't know the moves, she made them up. The crowd seemed to love her. They laughed and hollered every time she started dancing.

By the end of the game, the Mules had won, 21-6.

Afterward, Jeanette was collecting her pom-poms when Brittany walked up. She was holding the mascot head under one arm. Her cheeks were pink and her hair at her temples were damp with sweat. "Can you unzip me?" she asked Jeanette. "This costume is crazy hot."

Jeanette unzipped the back of the furry suit. "Where were you at the beginning of the game?" she asked. "I was looking for you."

"I lost my head."

"You what?"

"I lost my mule head. I accidently left it somewhere."

"Where?"

"In the janitor's closet in the basement."

Jeanette looked at her. "You mean 'accidently' on purpose?"

Brittany gave her a sheepish smile. "Yeah. I guess I thought if I didn't have the head, I wouldn't be able to come to the games anymore. Lucky for me, the janitor found it and brought it to Ms. Charge. And Ms. Charge _made sure_ I got to the game.

Jeanette giggled. "I'll bet she did. I'm glad you came though. You were really good. Everyone was laughing."

Brittany grinned. "Yeah, they were, weren't they? It was actually pretty fun acting so goofy. I figured I already looked so dumb, I had nothing to lose."

Over the next couple of weeks, Brittany made Jeanette teach her some of the cheers. Then at the games, she mixed them all up, adding her own crazy moves.

She was a hit. The crowd cheered even louder when Brittany came out on the field.

Even at school people started to say "Go Mules!" whenever they saw Brittany. Jeanette thought it was kind of embarrassing. But Brittany just laughed. Jeanette could tell she liked the attention. Brittany liked most kinds of attention.

Jeanette herself was actually starting to like cheerleading. At practices, Muffy and the other girls treated her as part of the group. She'd become the best flyer, nailing the stunts almost as soon as Ms. Charge taught them. The games were better, too. Jeanette didn't have to keep reminding herself to smile- it had started to come naturally.

Jeanette couldn't tell if all the cheering made a difference to the game. But something seemed to be working. By the middle of October, the Meridan Middle School football team had started to come around from their losing streak.

One afternoon; after winning another game, Jeanette and the other cheerleaders were in the locker room, when Muffy walked up. "Hey Jenny."

"Hey Muffy!" said Jeanette. "Good game, right?"

"Yeah, it was good. So, I wanted to let you know, I'm having a party next Saturday," Muffy said. "You can come. All the cheerleaders and football players are invited."

"Really?" Jeanette's eyes widened. "Great, I'll ask my-" She stopped herself. Maybe it wasn't cool to say you had to ask your mom. "I'll be there," she finished.

Muffy nodded. "I'll email you the address. By the way, Jenny, your hair looks really good these days. See ya."

Jeanette did change her hairstyle. It was no longer a messy bun. When cheerleading, it was a high ponytail with her bangs swept across her face, sort of like Brittany. When she's _not_ at cheerleading, she left her hair down. It was about shoulder length and was a bit wavy.

Jeanette's hair wasn't the only thing she changed. Instead of buying the new telescope she wanted, she bought contact lenses so she wouldn't have to wear glasses. You could see her green eyes ten times better.

With a little wave, Muffy walked back over to where Courtney, Trisha, and Kate were waiting for her. Jeanette watched as they picked up their bags and left.

A few lockers down, Alyssa was folding her uniform into a gym bag. Jeanette turned to her, excited.

"So you're going to Muffy's party?" she asked.

Alyssa shrugged. "Probably not. Next Saturday is Renee's parents' anniversary. She's got to babysit her little brother and sister. I told her I'd help her out."

Alyssa was choosing babysitting over a party? Jeanette stared at her in disbelief. "Wow, too bad for Renee," she said. "But she could probably get someone else to help out, couldn't she?"

"She probably could," said Alyssa, "but I already told her I would. I don't back out on my friends just because Muffy snaps her fingers." There was an edge to her voice.

Alyssa zipped up her bag. "See you tomorrow!" she said. Swinging her bag over her shoulder, she headed out the door.

_Well_, Jeanette thought, _whatever Alyssa's problem with Muffy is, it has nothing to do with me._ She smiled and hugged herself. She was invited to an eighth-grader's house. And not just any eighth-grader, but Muffy Reyes, the most popular girl in school!

"What are you so excited about?" Eleanor asked, walking up to Jeanette.

"Yeah?" Brittany added, walking beside her sister, Eleanor.

Jeanette turned to them with a grin. "Guess what? We're all invited to a party at Muffy's house!"

**Yay! Chapter nine is done! It was kinda fun trying to come up with what Jeanette would look like as a popular girl, or Chipette. Anyway, I will update soon and PLEASE review!**


End file.
